Scooter or Motorcycle
A recent comment about why I’m riding my Vespa ET4 when I have a Vespa GTS got me thinking about that choice. And not just the choice between the two scooters, but the differences between a scooter and motorcycle in general. Those questions have been floating around my head and I think I’ve come to a few simple conclusions.
The Scooter Explorer
I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me sooner. I explore on a scooter. I ride a motorcycle. Many motorcycle riders might insist they’re explorers, but my experience shows something different.
Had all my serious riding started with a motorcycle I would have called myself an explorer purely because I ride into new and unknown places. But that’s not what I’m talking about when I’m describing scooter riding as exploring. It’s not about where I go as much as it is how I’m going.
And let me say now, all of this will vary greatly from rider to rider. But this is what I know.
Nimble and Agile
I stop more on a scooter. A scooter is far easier to manipulate and park than a motorcycle. It’s profile along the road is upright and narrow in comparison allowing me to sometimes even park on the road with little concern of being wiped out by traffic. And because my scooters are so nimble and agile, when I see something of interest I can easily make a U-turn and go back to look at or photograph something of interest. I can do that with a motorcycle but I confess many times I did not turn around because the effort seemed too great.
Slow Travel
I travel slower on a scooter. I’ve thought about this a long time and I’m still uncertain why that’s true for me. My motorcycles have a throttle and are certainly capable of going slower but there’s some sort of relationship between mass and power that just seems to find the motorcycles going faster.
One of the reasons my Royal Enfield Himalayan is so appealing is its lack of power finds me going slower. While it’s not like the scooter in terms of maneuverability it do see more because of the slower speeds I travel.
The “Smoothness” Difference
Riding a scooter is easier, more fluid, quieter, and reminds me less often that I’m piloting a machine. I’ve shared this before but on a scooter I feel like I’m flying. Like a bird. On a motorcycle I feel like I’m flying but in an airplane.
I’m sure other riders will contend that they feel like a bird on their motorcycles. I would only ask if they’ve spend any serious time riding a scooter. Until you do I contend you won’t be able to understand the difference.
Machine Obsessions
The differences between a scooter and motorcycle extends beyond the machines I currently own. The “feel” each has has an intoxicating effect. The more often I switch from one to the other the more I begin thinking about other scooters and motorcycles and what they might be like to ride.
This mental process could easily lead to bigger garages and outbuildings to house the growing stable of scooters and motorcycles. I’ve been entertaining the idea of adding another motorcycle to my small fleet. Even though I recently eliminated the Triumph Street Twin from my list of desire other machines remain. I’m still fascinated by the Triumph T100. And I’ve been pondering a 2001 Kawasaki W650 that was recently offered to me. And I’ve been fantasizing about the Royal Enfield Classic 350. All three machines surely offering a different feel and experience.
And all of this stuff just adds to the growing amount of brain data that illustrates the differences between a scooter and motorcycle.
Having never owned a motorcycle, I can’t speak to the differences. I jumped from 50cc scooters to a 300cc scooter, and had to get the motorcycle endorsement to do that. The slow travel aspect was the draw for me – no shifting or anything else to divert my attention from the ride. My wish now is for a lightweight “dual sport” scooter, but I’m not sure anyone makes one above 125cc. So – maybe a Himalayan? Maybe a Yamaha XT250? Maybe a Honda XR150L?🤔
For some the Honda ADV150 fits the bill for a dual sport scooter. I’m not familiar with them but they would be worth a look. There are a lot of small “dual sport” motorcycles including the ones you’ve indicated. I looked at them and was turned off by the uncomfortable seats. Clearly in their stock configuration they weren’t intended for day long rides for someone like me. The Honda CRF250L is another candidate.
And don’t forget the Honda Trail 125. I looked closely at that machine before choosing the Himalayan.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve been looking at Honda XR150L videos most of today, and one reviewer actually mentioned as a positive quality the fact that you get to slow down and enjoy the scenery more with such a bike. The main goal is finding a machine that I can actually manage to get up on the hauler hitch I have for it behind my Class C RV. Not being a fan of towing, the intention is to haul an alternative means of transport once I park the RV. We’ll see how it goes.
The Honda XR150L looks like a great small motorcycle. And with the rear rack it would be easy to strap down lunch and some gear and head off into the back country. And at under 300 pounds it should be easy to get it on a rack on the back of the RV. My friend Dom Chang hauls a Yamaha TW200 on a front rack of his RV. I think he has an inexpensive Harbor Freight hitch rack. You can see it on this post:
RV rack with motorcycle
Could it be that we ride according to the engine’s displacement? I ride three motorcycles and they range in displacement between 125cc and 1200cc and my average speed on each increases as does displacement. Ease of mobility, agility and ease of movement both on and off each platform decreases as displacement increases. These variables so inform the nature of how, where and enjoy each Moto. I really see and ponder a great deal more on the 125 than I might on the 1200 as I’m moving that much slower. Traveling slower, maybe not as far as I age, and smaller displacement platforms have and are making this transition an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Like your choices of further options Steve and have always like the W650 and having a ridden a RE350 would like to make room for one too.
You’re a smarter man than me. You’ve captured the process. A formula could easily emerge from your thoughts.
Age should probably be added as a variable.
I’m just glad I see the relationship and can make some more honest decisions.
You noted the Honda Trail CT125 above which just happens to be the 125 I am currently enjoying. The first bike I ever rode was it’s 90cc Great Grandparent and I’d say that judging by the grins my Trail has provided, you can indeed go back and enjoy/relive. 👍
I feel grateful when something takes me back in time to relive some feeling or memory. I’m glad you’re finding that yourself with the CT125. Seems like a great little machine.
I feel much the same regarding displacement. Perhaps it’s the limitations of a motorcycle or scooter that determine when, how, and where we ride… or even ride at all. In my own experience, I rode a 1000cc BMW fast, and often too fast. It seemed almost an obligation to make use of as much of the bike’s potential as I was able. I was young then.
By far, the most enjoyable ride for me was a Vespa ET4, a cobalt blue one that I ‘souped up’ with a 190 kit, flyscreen, and a couple racing stripes. It could reach 65 easily and creep up to 70 depending on road and weather conditions. The Vespa was a great grocery getter (had a top box) and was more than capable of short jaunts on the highway. My wife regularly rode with me.
But without doubt, my favorite bike was a 1976 Triumph T140v Bonneville. Not the ride, but the learning experience. That bike taught me motorcycle mechanics, which tools did what, I had to slow down in the garage and truly think about every repair, modification, restoration, etc. New parts often had to be modified… cables, carburetors, various jets and needles, bearings, wiring… you name it. No, I’m not a mechanic. And many mentors guided me through my restoration project. But wow I learned so many little things that apply to so much.
Slowing down to gain understanding chief among them. Ironically, I’m recently looking at the T100 and w800. And Royal Enfield and Vespas. Except for the T100, All accused of being too slow, even dangerously so. And perhaps that is true – if your intention is to constantly test both the bike’s and the rider’s limits.
Exploration and learning are too important a part of my riding experience to go fast, anymore.
Thanks for the continued inspiration, Steve.
You’re on to something with the comment about being “obligated” to make use of power. And by extension, that suggests that we’ll be pulled towards whatever capabilities and traits a machine we choose will have. And make use regardless of our skills and temperament in the application. A liter bike with over a hundred horsepower calls to go fast. A 4WD vehicles leads us to heavy snow, mud, or water crossings that neither driver or vehicle is prepared to negotiate.
So I wonder whether we find joy in the rides where the machine and our disposition are a close match? Something to think about.
The machines you’re currently considering are among those I look at as well. And I’ve heard the comments about dangerously slow. Seldom do I hear anything about dangerously fast.
If I want to test anything it’s my vision and appreciation. Not the limits of myself or what I’m riding. And I should narrow it to speed and power since I do foolishly venture out in the snow…
Your experience has been the same for me. When I went from my Triumph Tiger 800 to my Honda PCX 150cc scooter…….my take was that I went from seeing the overall scenery riding the Triumph to seeing the scenery in detail riding my PCX.
I completely understand the phenomenon.
I’m sure by now people assume I’m a motorcyclist who owns a scooter. I’m really a rider who owns both. First, a Himalayan does weigh exactly 100 pounds more than a GTS. At 459 pounds it’s larger but in the realm of a lightweight motorcycle. Several years ago (13) I took the MSF Experienced Rider Course on a W650. One aspect of the course was doing figure 8’s in a box 20 feet wide by 40 feet long. The W and I did them quite handily with little strain. I imagine that doing a U-Turn in the street on the Himalayan would be quite easy with a little practice. After you owning scooters for 18 years I could see how it might seem harder but it’s a point of view. I always see scooter owners say. “I don’t have to think about shifting.” To be most efficient I have to look at the tachometer but generally just listening to sound of the engine works well and I don’t have to think about shifting anymore. Of course after 61 years of riding bikes maybe I’m different.
We are all different. Vespa owners have the same love for their machines as Harley owners do for their bikes, I look at spec sheets for the value of a machine not the voluptuous curves of their metal or the heritage of design. Numbers don’t lie. Plus Kawasaki’s, my favorite, have a crude, earthy feel to their engines. My Honda is nice, but it’s no Kawasaki.
Kawasaki does have a fine tone and feel. The first motorcycle I spent any significant time riding was back in 1970 on a Kawasaki 175cc dirt bike. I think it was an F7. Two-stroke engine and lots of high RPM power made it kind of fun trashing through the abandoned strip mines in Western Pennsylvania. One of them now is the site of IKEA and other meccas of commerce. I can still hear and feel that motorcycle.
It’s difficult to really quantify a motorcycle’s feel with any kind of specs. And even complete comfort with handling a motorcycle still doesn’t seem to mean it will provide the feel I’m after. Maybe it just can’t be reduced to a checklist.
I just know the right feel when I’m riding.
Having owned and ridden Vespas (150 and 300) and a 750 Honda Shadow, I completely agree with you. In fact, the Vespa LX150 led me to explore evem a little more than my GTS’s. The Honda was big, heavy, slower and pokier than the Vespas. Just never as nimble or as good at exploring as the scooters. The GTS’s were faster and more comfortable on the highway too.
Of my three current machines I probably explore more now on the Himalayan. But that’s purely because I can ride it on roads that I just wouldn’t travel anymore on either of my Vespa scooters.
But in total, I’ve explored a ton with the GTS. It remains a fine companion to go practically anywhere. Like you say, it’s fast, comfortable, and really nimble.
There’s some good moody photos in this one. Rain always helps that. I have a scooter that goes slow well (150cc) and by far a better back country road to the coffee (shop 25 miles away). I have a 800cc motorcycle that goes far fast that I take to the flea market 60 miles away. There’s almost no point riding a 150cc scooter 120 miles.
A rainy day, even if only for a few minutes, imparts a mood that just isn’t there on a sunny day. Like this morning on our ride home from breakfast.
The different machines provide different capabilities. I have the meandering backroads covered. And the dirt and gravel. But with the BMW K75 gone, I don’t have the long distance machine anymore.
Having started on a Vespa 125cc sprint for a few years before having my full license I can definitely relate. Stopping and getting off is easier on a scooter, and it does make you travel slower (also because mine just was a lot slower).
However, to an extent it’s also in the character of the rider. Even though I’m now riding a 660cc adv bike, I still find myself going into the same small backroads at somewhat similar slower explore speeds of 20-50kph as before regularly, and – as it’s still agile enough – stopping, turning, getting off, taking a picture… and even more taking a gravel or off road paths, something I did less on the Vespa. The main reason for me not stopping is usually traffic.
The main difference for me is now I can get to nicer spots more quickly taking highways/big roads and explore/wander around there, and easily get along hi-speed traffic, something which I found really tricky on the 125 scoot as it just didn’t feel as safe to me at 100kph, let alone I could do a relax 120kph on the highway.
So for me personally it still triggers the same slow exploring behavior, but it could get into different behaviors when/if needed. So it’s a bit more versatile to me… and owning both is from a financial and maintenance pov not really interesting for me.
I must admit I’m probably somewhat of an exception as I’m always overtaken by ‘real’ bikers who seem to want to go fast all the time 😀
You make an excellent point regarding a more powerful motorcycle is capable of getting you to some far flung location to then explore slowly. The challenge for a rider with a powerful motorcycle is whether they can tame the throttle to ride at 20 – 50kph.
Having multiple machines definitely has the downside of more care, maintenance and expense. I’m still willing to accept that but I do sometimes wonder about the sensibility of it all. But then, is riding itself a sensible activity……
It’s good to be the exception. To ride your own ride and not be dragged along under the influence of others.
Wise words there I think👌
I own 3 motorcycles
– a Harley Davidson CVO RoadGlide for touring long distance.
– a Suzuki DR 350 for dirt road / street road , for overall “bicycle with a motor”.
– a Vespa Grandturismo (GTS) to go to our picturesque downtown St Augustine, FL
I agree with the author about using the Vespa to explore and stop and appreciate the area / scenes. The scooter can go slow with ease and stop with ease. I take whichever machine depends on my mood. For exploring, I take the Vespa scooter.
I’m in a similar situation to you other than my machines differ a bit. But I am 100 percent aligned in regard to your comments about your GTS.
Now that I have four machines and it is winter I find myself cycling through them to keep each in shape during the winter. I don’t winterize. I just keep riding them.